The happy smiles puppies bring universally would turn to tears if people saw where they came from… it’s not cute, it’s not pretty and it’s got to change.

There is legislation regarding the breeding of companion animals but it is not working and never will. I have been working in this field for twenty years and know the legislation inside out and I have never known it to improve conditions for the dogs, to prosecute owners or to revoke a permit when there are violations. There is no effective legislation helping these dogs.

We must fight to abolish puppy farms. It is wrong and cruel what is happening to countless mother and father dogs and their offspring in these breeding prisons. Even if the legislation worked the parent dogs would still be slaves and their only ‘value’ would be their ability to breed and when that ends they are killed.

The Story So Far:
Ballarat Puppy Farm – perseverance not legislation closed it down

The owner of this puppy factory, Liberal MP and vet Dr Ron Wells, violated the Code of Practice for Breeding and Rearing Establishments (the code) for 10 years. Dr Wells even sat on the committee that developed the code.

During these 10 years we carried out close to 100 investigations on the property and wrote to the Ballarat Council after our undercover raids, detailing all the violations to the Code. The RSPCA and Council were given video and photographic evidence of cruelty. We also gave them statutory declarations from three former employees that detailed horrific treatment and cruelty to the dogs.

The employees wrote about how dogs were smashed up against fence posts to kill them, dogs being hit on the head with a hammer, critically ill dogs given no veterinary treatment when they were so ill they could not stand or breathe properly, untrained staff injecting dogs, dogs dying whilst they were giving birth due to the pups being stuck in the birth canal, dogs with prolapsed uterus’s through years of continual pregnancy and mother dogs eating their own puppies after their continual confinement driving them mad.

Over the ten year campaign I also witnessed appalling cruelty on this property which was documented time and time again and given to authorities. Some of the dogs on this property had fur that was matted so tightly it dragged on their skin causing painful skin tears which became infected and dogs not able to eat due to rotten teeth from their inadequate diet. We photographed dead dogs who had been thrown into manure pits, and on one raid I found 13 dead dogs on the property. In a one month period during 1996, 97 puppies died of heatstroke because of their inadequate living conditions.

We continually gave all the evidence to authorities who failed to act each and every time. Hundreds of dogs died a terrible death on this property and hundreds more spent their lives living in constant terror and confinement because the authorities failed to act. Even the Victorian Veterinary Registration Board would only give Dr Wells a slap on the wrist when they were presented with our evidence.

In 2004 I lead a team of 50 activists and media onto the property in broad daylight to document conditions once again. We found a puppy near death in a cardboard box who we rescued but sadly this puppy died later the next day. The media stories helped to raise more public awareness which put more pressure on Council to act, but still they failed to.

In 2005 I had enough of Ballarat Council’s failure to take action and enforce the law so I found my way into the Mayor’s office and refused to leave. Outside 30 supporters conducted a powerful, loud, passionate demonstration. Three months later Ballarat puppy farm was shut down and Dr Wells declared “I will never touch another dog”.

Ron Wells was never prosecuted for cruelty or violations to the code.

Strathbogie Puppy Farm – classic case of legislative bungling

In 2006 a 290 page Council document landed on my door step. The document detailed horrific cruelty at a puppy farm in the Shire of Strathbogie. That Council had paid an independent vet to conduct an inspection of each dog. The vet was forced to put down 17 of the 120 dogs found on this property because they were in such appalling conditions they could not be saved. Dead cats were found in cages with ones who were still barely alive.

The vet report on the remaining dogs reads like a horror story, a small sample of the four page report reads

* 3979 Maltese – fleas, shot jaw
* 4013 Maltese- temp 40.14, unable to vaccinate needs vet care
* 4008 Maltese – sore right eye, shot jaw, needs vet care
* 3996 Labrador – head lesion, lightweight only 22kgs, fleas
* 4002 Jack Russell – temp 39.68 unable to vaccinate
* 3945 Retriever – has 1 foster pup 5 natural, needs antibiotic, 30kg
* 3948 Retriever – unable to vaccinate, rapid breathing, ear infection
* 3972 West Highland – generally appears in poor health
* 3954 German Shepherd – lightweight possibly underfed
* 3947 German Shepherd – very light needs more food

The vet report also stated the dogs were “unfit for breeding” The RSPCA were aware of this puppy factory and an inspector visited the property.

So did the legislation help in this case? No, the owners were never prosecuted for cruelty, the Council did not revoke the permit and close them down, in fact once the vet left the property after being there all day putting dogs down and vaccinating and inspecting others, the owners were not bothered again. They continued operating their puppy farm, business as usual.

Council admitted they had enough evidence to prosecute but they “did not want to stimulate a huge emotional and public outcry in the community” and that if they did prosecute and seize the dogs it would cost council $15,000 in dental treatment alone plus the care costs.

The RSPCA did nothing.

So the dogs continued to suffer because the authorities failed to act.

Sale Puppy Farm – the legislation joke continues…

ACA Breeders, a puppy farm in Sale with 400 dogs has been violating the code for almost 14 years. The dogs on this property live in 44 gallon drums with the word “poison” stamped on the side. The owner describes these drums as “hotels” and states “the dogs are very happy”.

I know these dogs are not happy and live a life of terror, confinement, deprivation and continual pregnancy.

So what are the Authorities doing ? Well at the moment the Wellington Shire refuses to acknowledge my letters of complaint detailing all the violations to the Code.

But then again they have failed these dogs for 14 years, so should I be surprised?

I need your help to shut down this puppy farm

Please email the Wellington Shire Council Mayor and ask him to withdraw the permit for ACA Breeders because they are violating the Code of Practice.

The Mayor’s e-mail address is:
darren.mccubbin@wellington.vic.gov.au

Please also CC your e-mail to the Shire Field Services Co-ordinator:
gary.jago@wellington.vic.gov.au

The legislation is not working

The only way to free these dogs from their misery is to lobby your local MP, tell her/him to make this issue a priority, never give up on making a noise for these dogs locked out of sight. There is no justification for puppy farms when we are killing 350 dogs each and every day in Australian pounds and shelters. Educate everyone you know about the issue, when we purchase a puppy from a pet shop we contribute to this heartless underground industry, an industry the pet shops don’t want you to know about.